THS Blog

The Purple Philosophy Autism and Environmental Overstimulation Whether you have a child or know someone on the spectrum, understanding a few things about autism and environmental overstimulation is crucial to a successful interaction. Environment can make or break an individual’s success. If a child with autism is struggling to engage or is escalating into fight […]

The Purple Philosophy: Moving Beyond Compliance to Genuine Connection Compliance. Sounds like a good thing, right? Of course, we have to comply with laws and do what Mom tells us to do. But we do it because we understand the why we are doing it. There is a bigger picture and natural consequences if we […]

Like this:

The Hope Source’s Dr. Momi Yamanaka will be regularly posting about various topics to differentiate and clarify between “this” vs. “that”. This is the first post in the series. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) vs. Evidence-based Treatment (EBT) Consensus among most medical associations including the American Psychological Association and National Association of Social Workers define “evidence –based […]

MYTH: My child will never develop vocal speech if they use a device or sign language to communicate. As a Speech-Language Pathologist I’ve heard this concern frequently when an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) modality was recommended. In fact, this is a common concern shared amongst parents, family members, and other professionals. I get the […]

Behavior modification isn’t about controlling the behavior of others. When it comes to “managing” or modifying the difficult or undesirable behavior of another, we walk a fine line between attempting to control the actions of another and guiding their behavior in a different direction. How do we guide someone else’s behavior? We use our own behavior […]

The Purple Philosophy: Social Communication When it comes to ASD and social communication, supporting social interaction is an important piece of the puzzle. At The Hope Source, we recognize that offering safe, supportive opportunities for students to engage in age-appropriate peer interaction facilitates growth and leads to competence. Fostering social competence is reliant on honing the […]

The Purple Philosophy: Episodic Memory When a child experience success, they develop memories that they can retrieve when faced with similar situations. This is called Episodic Memory – one of our memories impacted by ASD. When you have experiences that are meaningful, they become a part of you. And when something is a part of […]

The Purple Philosophy: What does regulation sound like? Shhh. Don’t disrupt the mindful engagement! When someone is regulated their mind and body is attending, organizing and processing environmental, emotional and cognitive information appropriately. When someone is regulated, they will be more confident and competent as solving functional problems and adjusting to social demands. We can observe […]